China has underlined its strong backing to Sri Lanka by calling on the international community “to respect the right of the Sri Lankan government and people to choose their own path of promoting human rights”, amid recent criticism of the country’s human rights record.

With the issue coming under renewed attention following the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, the Chinese Embassy, in a statement issued said it was Beijing’s view that the Sri Lankan government and people “have the wisdom and capacity to deal appropriately with its internal affairs”.